OUR VIEW: The fate of Jefferson County's financial rescue bills shouldn't be held hostage by three obstructionist lawmakers

Alabama legislators, from left, Arthur Payne, Mary Moore and John Rogers, are playing hardball politics with a bill that would give Jefferson County some flexibility in dealing with its money woes. (The Birmingham News)

Jefferson County achieved something Wednesday that was almost unthinkable just days before. It convinced the Jefferson County House delegation to approve a package of bills to try to get the county through a grave financial situation. Included in that package is the unprecedented authorization allowing Jefferson County to decide what taxes it should impose.

Hooray for lawmakers!

But it didn't take long for the state legislative branch's accustomed dysfunction to drown out any cheering.

The key bills in the package -- the limited taxing authority and unearmarking a variety of county taxes to give the County Commission more flexibility -- were contested by a trio of House members playing typical hardball politics. The contest puts up the steel curtain of roadblocks, and it makes it unlikely the county can avoid laying off hundreds of workers and severely cutting services.

The taxing authority bill, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Vestavia Hills, would give the County Commission what county officials call "limited home rule." That, essentially, is the power to raise any of a variety of taxes, as long as they don't exceed $50 million a year.

The $50 million is what commissioners say they need to avoid the near shutdown of many county services after courts this year struck down the county's occupational tax. That tax, which brought in $74 million last year, accounted for one-fourth of the county's general fund.

Among the taxes the Williams' bill would allow are sales, lease and rental, excise, alcoholic beverage and occupational, though the bill doesn't actually limit the taxes to only those.

Other bills would unearmark a slew of other county taxes -- sales, lodging, alcohol and others -- that go to such things as Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, the Jefferson County Health Department and the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

It's unlikely the bills will go anywhere. That's because Reps. Arthur Payne, R-Trussville, and John Rogers and Mary Moore, both Birmingham Democrats, are contesting the bills.

The contest means it will take a four-fifths vote of the House to approve the bills. Supporters of the bills say that's too tall a wall to climb. With the legislative session winding down toward its final four days, supporters have only until Wednesday to convince Rogers, Payne or Moore to drop their contest, or do something even harder -- talk four of every five House members to vote for it over the objection of the three.

What did manage to get through the House last week are two bills not contested by the trio. One of them would actually help the county. Sponsored by Williams, the bill would allow the county to impose a business license fee that would bring in about $7 million a year.

The other bill that won House approval would be of dubious help to the county. It is sponsored by Rogers and would call for a referendum on a new occupational tax. Of course, Rogers knows there's little chance county residents would vote an occupational tax on themselves.

So, the county's best hope at this point, and it's a long shot, is to somehow get Williams' limited taxing authority bill through the House by Wednesday. If it clears the House, the bill would very likely pass the Senate in the closing days of the session.

But realistically, the bill will never make it out of the House unless Payne, Rogers or Moore abandon their opposition to the bill.

It's regrettable the county's fate lies in the hands of three obstructionist lawmakers. That only underscores the dysfunction of the Legislature, particularly the county's legislative delegation, which has never worked well with the County Commission.

Payne, Rogers and Moore should drop their destructive contest and allow an up-or-down vote on the bills in the full House. There are things more important than their egos, such as the welfare of the people of Jefferson County they represent.